Since I wrote the above-linked post here Olson has gotten some press attention. (No, I’m not claiming credit. A bunch of people have been flogging this.) Perhaps most notably, Olson got a thorough going-over by veteran environmental journalist Tom Knudsen at the Sacramento Bee, who added this observation by one of Olson’s putative colleagues:

Gary Strader, a former Wildlife Services trapper in Nevada, was not surprised to learn about the controversial photos. “That is very common,” Strader wrote in an email. “It always was and always will be controversial. It has never been addressed by the higher-ups. They know it happens on a regular basis.”

Was going to sign it, was going to pass it along to friends, but it wants me log in to my fb account, which I have deactivated.

The third time facebook changed my privacy settings without telling me I was done. I don’t participate in anything via facebook. And, unwittingly or no, organizations and businesses that require me to use fb are enabling the virtual groping.

I’m sorry, but for the life of me I can’t understand how Strader can suggest torturing immobilized animals “will always be controversial”. It makes it sound like there could be sound arguments in favor of continuing the practice.

I lived in Issa’s district for 11 years. If you think that heartless douche-licker gives a flying turd about anyone or anything other than his next election you’re kidding yourself. Unless there’s a political motivation, you can expect him to ignore this.

I’m not saying don’t try mind you, I’m still going to write him. I’m just saying don’t expect much out of him on this. Coincidentally, his district is very red and coyotes are considered a pest by most of the residents there. I’m guessing if anything, he’ll give the guy a pat on the back and his constituents will thank him for it.

dude must of cut that class at Harvard graduate business school where they teach you the differences between your ass and a hole in the ground, shit and shinola, and biomedical research and siccing your vicious dogs on a wild animal that’s tied to a stake.

@11 Thanks for the additional info. It seems to me that even people that believe there is a need for more predator “culling” (I am not one of those people) would have qualms about blatant animal torture. I grew up on a farm and if my grandfather ever saw a feral dog on the place he killed it immediately (and it made me sad), but he never would have tortured any animal. Neither he nor I would understand taking pleasure in the suffering of a living creature (or killing it needlessly).

I grew up on a farm and if my grandfather ever saw a feral dog on the place he killed it immediately (and it made me sad),

It makes me sad too, but there are good reasons for it; one of my neighbors growing up lost a foal to a pack of semi-feral dogs (I say semi-feral, they were domestic dogs whose owners let them run free at night, and they formed a pack that roamed the area.)

@22 Exactly, I love dogs and have had many but without guidance they can cause a lot of damage. It should be noted that much of the destruction attributed to wild canines is actually perpetrated by the “domesticated” type running out of control.